bl.necroscope2-第59章

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　at　his　guests。　〃I　know　this　place。　After　that　business　at　（Chateau　Bronnitsy；　when　Party　Leader　Brezhnev　give　tie　my　appointment；　he　ordered　me　to　find　out　everything　I　could　about。。。　about　what　happened。　I　suspected　Dragosani　was　at　root　of　it。　So　I　came　here。〃
　〃You　followed　his　old　tracks；　you　mean？〃　said　Kyle。
　Krakovitch　nodded。　〃When　Dragosani　have　holiday；　he　always　e　here；　to　Romania。　No　family；　no　friends；　but　he　e　here。〃
　Quint　nodded。　〃He　was　born　here。　Romania　was　home　to　him。〃
　〃And　he　did　have　one　friend　here；〃　Kyle　quietly　added。　Krakovitch　yawned　again；　peered　at　Kyle　through　eyes　which　were　a　little　red　in　their　corners。　〃So　it　would　seem。　anyway；　he　used　to　call　this　place　Wallachia；　not　Romania。　Wallachia　is　a　country　long　gone　and　forgotten；　Hut　not　by　Dragosani。〃
　〃Where　exactly　are　we　going？〃　Kyle　asked。
　〃I　was　hoping　you　could　tell　me！〃　said　Krakovitch。　〃You　said　Romania；　a　place　in　the　foothills　where　Dragosani　was　a　boy。　So　that　is　where　we　are　going。　We'll　stay　at　a　little　village　he　liked　off　the　Corabia…Calinesti　highway。　We　should　be　there　in　maybe　two　hours。　After　that；〃　he　It　rugged；　〃your　guess　is　as　good　as　mine。〃
　Oh；　we　can　do　better　than　that；〃　said　Kyle。　〃How　far　is　Slatina　from　this　place　where　we're　staying？〃
　
　〃Slatina？　Oh；　about　…；　〃One　hundred　twenty　kilometres；〃　said　Irma　Dobresti。　Krakovitch　had　earlier　told　her　the　name　of　the　place　they　were　staying…a　difficult　and　meaningless　name　to　the　two　Englishmen…but　she　had　known　it　fairly　well。　A　cousin　of　hers　had　lived　there　once。　〃About　an　hour　and　half　to　travelling。〃
　〃Do　you　want　to　go　straight　to　Slatina？〃　Krakovitch　asked。　〃What's　in　Slatina；　anyway？〃
　〃Tomorrow　will　do；〃　said　Kyle。　〃We　can　spend　tonight　making　plans。　As　for　what's　in　Slatina；
　〃Records；〃　Quint　cut　in。　〃There'll　be　a　local　registrar；　won't　there？〃
　〃Pardon？〃　Krakovitch　didn't　know　the　word。
　〃A　person　who　registers　marriages　and　births；〃　Kyle　explained。
　〃And　deaths；〃　Quint　added。
　〃Ah！　I　begin　to　see；〃　said　Krakovitch。　〃But　you　are　mistaken　if　you　think　a　small　town's　records　will　go　back　five　hundred　years　to　Thibor　Ferenczy。〃
　Kyle　shook　his　head。　〃That's　not　it。　We　have　our　own　vampire；　remember？　We　know　he；　er；　got　started　out　here。　And　we　more　or　less　know　how。　We　want　to　find　out　where　Ilya　Bodescu　died。　The　Bodescus　were　staying　in　Slatina　when　he　had　some　sort　of　skiing　accident　in　the　hills。　If　we　can　trace　someone　who　was　involved　in　the　recovery　of　his　body；　we'll　be　within　an　ace　of　finding　Thibor's　tomb。　Where　Ilya　Bodescu　died；　that's　where　the　old　vampire　was　buried。〃
　〃Good！〃　said　Krakovitch。　〃There　should　be　a　police　report；　statements…perhaps　even　a　coroner's　report。〃
　〃Doubting；〃　said　Irma　Dobresti；　shaking　her　head。　〃How　long　ago　this　man　die？〃
　〃Eighteen；　nineteen　years；〃　Kyle　answered。
　〃Simple　death…accident。〃　Dobresti　shrugged。　〃Not　suspicious…no　coroner's　report。　But　police　report；　yes。　Also；　ambulance　recovery。　They　make　report；　too。〃
　Kyle　began　to　warm　towards　her。　〃That's　good　reasoning；〃　he　said。　〃As　for　getting　hold　of　those　reports　through　the　local　authorities；　that's　your　job；　Mrs　er　〃Not　Mrs。　Never　had　time。　Just　call　me　Irma；　please。〃　She　smiled　her　yellow…toothed　smile。
　Her　attitude　in　all　of　this　puzzled　Quint　a　little。　〃You　don't　think　it's　a　bit　odd　that　we're　here　hunting　for　a　vampire；　er；　Irma？〃
　She　looked　at　him；　raised　an　eyebrow。　〃My　parents　e　from　the　mountains；〃　she　said。　〃When　I　am　little　they　sometimes　talk　about　wampir。　Up　there　in　Carpatii　Meridionali；　old　people　still　believe。　Once　there　were　great　bears　up　there。　And　sabretooth　tigers。　Before　that；　big　lizards…er；　dinosaurs？　Yes。　They　are　no　more…but　they　were。　Later；　there　was　plague　that　swept　the　world。　All　of　these　things；　gone。　Now　you　tell　me　that　my　parents　were　right；　there　were　vampires；　too。　Odd？　No；　I　not　think　so。　If　you　want　hunt　vampires；　where　better　than　Romania；　eh？〃
　Krakovitch　smiled。　〃Romania；〃　he　said；　〃has　always　been　something　of　an　island。〃
　〃True；〃　Dobresti　agreed。　〃But　that　not　always　good。　World　is　big。　No　strength　in　being　small。　Also；　being　cut　off　means　stagnation。　Nothing　new　ever　es　in。〃
　Kyle　nodded；　thinking　to　himself；　and　some　of　the　old　things　are　things　you　can　well　do　without。
　
　It　had　been　a　rough　night　for　Brenda　Keogh。
　When　Harry　Jnr　had　finished　his　small　hours　feed；　he　hadn't　wanted　to　go　back　to　sleep　again。　He　wasn't　bad　about　it；　just　wouldn't　sleep。
　After　an　hour　or　two　of　rocking　him；　then　cradling　and　crooning　to　him；　she'd　finally　put　the　baby　down　and　gone　back　to　bed　herself。
　But　at　6。00　A。M。　he'd　been　right　on　time　again；　crying　for　his　change　and　another　feed。　And　she'd　known　from　the　way　he　twisted　his　little　face　and　clenched　his　fists　that　he　was　tired：　he'd　been　awake　right　through　the　night；　from　no　cause　that　Brenda　could　discover。　But　good？　What　a　good　little　chap　he　was！　He　hadn't　cried　at　all　until　he　was　hungry　and　unfortable；　just　lay　there　in　his　cot　through　the　night　doing　his　own　thing…whatever　that　might　be。
　Even　now　his　will　to　stay　awake　and　be　a　part　of　the　world　was　strong；　but　his　yawning　told　his　mother　that　he　couldn't。　With　dawn　an　hour　away；　Harry　was　going　to　have　to　go　to　sleep。　The　world　would　have　to　wait。　No　matter　how　fast　your　mind　grows　up；　your　body　goes　more　slowly。
　
　As　his　baby　son　went　to　sleep；　Harry　Snr　found　himself　free　and　was　struck　with　a　thought　as　strange　as　any　he'd　ever　had；　even　in　his　thoroughly　strange　existence。
　He's　leeching　on　me！　he　thought。　The　little　rascal's　into　my　mind；　into　my　experiences。　He　can　explore　my　stuff　because　there's　lots　of　it；　but　I　can't　touch　him　because　there's　nothing　in　there…yet！
　He　put　the　extraordinary　idea　to　the　back　of　his　mind。　Now　that　Harry　Jnr　had　released　him　he　had　places　to　go；　people…dead　people…to　talk　to。　There　were　things　he　knew　which　he　was　unique　in　knowing。　He　knew；　for　instance；　that　the　dead　inhabit　another　sphere；　also　that　in　their　lonely　nether…existence　they　go　on　doing　all　the　things　they've　done　in　life。
　The　writers　write　masterpieces　they　can　never　publish；　each　line　perfectly　posed；　each　paragraph　polished；　every　story　a　gem。　Where　time　isn't　a　problem　and　deadlines　don't　exist；　things　get　done　right。　The　architects　plot　their　cities　of　the　mind；　beautiful　aerial　constructs　flung　across　fantastic　worlds　and　spanning　sculpted　oceans　and　continents；　each　brick　and　spire　and　sky…riding　highway　immaculately　positioned；　no　smallest　detail　missing　or　botched。　The　mathematicians　continue　to　explore　the　Formulae　of　the　Universe；　reducing　THE　ALL　to　symbols　they　can　never　put　on　paper；　for　which　men　in　the　corporeal　world　should　be　grateful。　And　the　Great　Thinkers　carry　on　thinking　their　great　thoughts；　which　far　outweigh　any　they　thought　in　life。
　That　had　been　the　way　of　it　with　the　Great　Majority。　Then　Harry　Keogh；　Necroscope；　had　e　along。
　The　dead　had　taken　to　Harry　at　once；　he　had　given　their　existence　new　meaning。　Before　Harry；　each　one　of　them　had　inhabited　a　world　consisting　of　his　own　incorporeal　thoughts；　without　contact　with　the　rest。　They　had　been　like　houses　with　no　doors　or　windows；　no　telephones。　But　Harry　had　connected　them　up。　It　made　no　difference　to　the　living　（who　simply　weren't　aware）　but　it　made　a　great　deal　of　difference　to　the　dead。
　M？bius　had　been　one　such；　mathematician　and　thinker　both；　and　he　had　shown　Harry　Keogh　how　to　use　his　Mobius　continuum。　He'd　done　so　gladly；　for　like　all　of　the　dead　he'd　quickly　e　to　love　the　Necroscope。　And　the　M？bius　continuum　had　given　Harry　access　to　times　and　places　and　minds　beyond　the　reach　of　any　other　intelligence　in　all　of　man's　history。
　Now　Harry　knew　of　a　man　whose　one　obsession　in　life　tad　been　the　myths　and　legends　and　lore　of　the　vampire。His　name　was　Ladislau　Giresci。　How　was　it　going　for　him　now；　Harry　wondered；　in　the　aftermath　of　his　murder？　Max　Batu　had　killed　him　with　his　evil　eye；　for　no　good　reason　other　than　that　Dragosani　had　ordered　it。　Killed　him；　yes；　but　not　Giresci's　life…long　penchant　for　the　legend　of　the　vampire。　What　had　been　an　obsession　in　life　must　certainly　have　continued　afterwards。
　Harry　could　no　longer　make　any　headway